Honesty is the only policy
by jayer
Summary: This time Lila's on the job. Post Somebody's Watching.
1. Prologue

"From the beach to the Big Apple"

Variety, April 3, 2005 - Casting rumors have been silenced as the new merged CW network announces the casting of Lila Archer in their fall pilot "Crime Scene". This casting lifts the contingency on the pilot. Archer, last seen on the recently cancelled "Beach Girls", will co-star as Emily Fox, a rookie FBI Special Agent working in the agency's New York City field office. Archer joins previously cast Drew Fuller, William H Macy, Eliza Dushku and British import Billy Boyd. Filming on the pilot, which will be split between Los Angeles and New York City, begins next week.


	2. Destination: LA

"Hey Spence." JJ gently nudged him awake. "We're here."

Spener rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sorry."

"No worries." JJ laughed. "Guess you didn't get much sleep last night."

Spencer climbed out of the car, grabbing his satchel. "Not really. I had to pack and pay bills."

"Well, try not to nap on the plane. The just out of bed look is soooo out this season." JJ laughed.

"Thanks for the advice." Spencer pulled his suitcase out of the trunk. "Any more wise words?"

"Two things. Be yourself. Spencer Reid, Neurotic Boy Genius, didn't scare her off the first time."

"You think I'm neurotic."

"You stutter when you have to talk in front of large groups."

"I haven't stuttered in months."

"Okay, true. But you did. But my point is that you aren't Mr Rico Suave. And you aren't all Hollywood charm with a girl on your arm all the time - and a different girl each week. But that's what Lila likes about you. You're honest and real. So just be that. Be yourself and be honest with her. Don't be afraid to tell her that you've been on one date your whole life."

"With a co-worker that said yes out of pity."

"I said I was sorry about that. But I knew how hard it was for you to do it and I didn't want to crush you. If I did, you might never ask another girl out."

"You never said anything to Morgan right?"

"We had a deal. Nothing to anyone." JJ looked at her watch. "You better get going. Do you have your id, your tickets?"

Spencer pulled the items out of his satchel. "Yes Mother." His comment earned him a playful slap on the arm. "And I packed the clothes you suggested."

"Good, then maybe you won't look like an FBI agent all the time. Which is actually number two?"

"What is?"

"Last time, you couldn't . . . act on your instincts. Because of the job." JJ grinned at Spencer's confused look. "Yes I know about the kiss. This time you don't have that to worry about. Yes you are there to be a technical advisor, totally contrived set-up that that is, but you aren't there as an agent so if the urge hits you to kiss Lila again, go for it. I slipped something in your suitcase in the event that any other urges hit you."

"What?"

"Figure it out, genius." JJ pushed him toward the terminal door. "And if you need anything else, call."

"Thanks, JJ."

Spencer stopped in the door and turned around. "JJ, wait." He pulled his keys out of his bag and tossed them to JJ. "Box 115."

"It's covered. I'll see you Sunday."


	3. Arriving

Spencer jumped as someone tapped his shoulder. He had been totally absorbed in the book he had grabbed at the tiny airport bookstore when he'd changed planes in Dallas. It was like Harry Potter, all wizards and magic in a real world, but darker and more grownup. And the author had done some serious historical research. He'd have to remember to look for the same cashier when he flew home, tell the guy thanks for the recommendation.

"I'm sorry, Sir." The flight attendant smiled at him. "But we're getting ready to land and I need you to put your tray and seat up."

"Of course." Spencer nodded.

"Is that good?" The flight attendant pointed to the book.

"Very."

The flight attendant continued down the aisle, checking seats and compartment doors. Spencer flipped up the window cover. No matter how many times he flew, he was still amazed by how tiny and quiet the world looked from up in the air. The patch of ocean under them was smooth like glass, but he knew that under the surface there were fish and currents and riptides. He stared at it for a long moment before turning back to his book. He had the last three chapters finished just as the plane stopped at the terminal.

Spencer stood, stretching his legs, and grabbed his book satchel from the overhead compartment. His fingers grazed over a worn spot. He really was going to have to get another bag soon. But his mother had given it to him when he started high school. He remembered opening up his bag in his first class and finding a note from his mother. All it said was "I love you" but it made him feel a little less lost in all the hustle and bustle around him. Maybe that was why he had kept it, why it brought it with him. Maybe he was thinking about it way too much and he should tell the nervous voice in his head to shut up. JJ was right. Lila saw him at his typical stuttering neurotic worst and she didn't seem to mind. She was the one that had called him, emailed him. First just to talk, see how life was going, needing a sympathetic ear when she'd had a bad day. And then when she was hired on a new job, Lila was the one that suggested that the writers ask him for some tips on how to make things real and not just 'tv real'. Him, not Hotch or Gideon or JJ. When they asked if he could come out and do some on set advising, everyone figured out the truth. It was a plot to set up another visit to LA. And since Spencer had several weeks worth of leave time to use, Hotch was happy to play Lila's game and let Spencer take some time off. Things had been so intense lately, Spencer was sure that Hotch was grateful for the excuse to get him out of the office before he totally snapped. And Spencer had to admit that the thought of 10 days without kidnappings, bombings, murders or rapes sounded like heaven. And his mother was thrilled that he was going to stop off at home for a couple of days on his way home.

"Have a nice day." The pretty flight attendant smiled at him.

Spencer reached into his bag and pulled out the book. "Here, I'm done with it."

"I couldn't."

"Is there some rule?"

"No."

"Then take it."

"But what if you want to read it again."

"Photographic memory. Good thing there are a few million new books published every year."

"Well, okay." The young woman took the book. "Thank you."

Spencer nodded before jogging down the hallway to the terminal. He spotted a map on the wall and sorted out his way to the baggage claim.

"Spencer." He heard a familiar voice calling to him as he grabbed his bag. He turned to see Lila waving to him from the other side of the dividing wall. A brunette girl was standing next to her.

"Long time no see." Lila hugged him. "Spencer this is."

"Eliza." Spencer cut in.

"Have we met?"

"No. But I took this class in college "Popular Media as Social Commentary." Goof off class. Something to not be thinking about abnormal psychology. We watched Buffy, Angel, Roswell, X-Files. Plus all that stuff like Felicity, Dawson's Creek, some South Park."

"Cool." Eliza pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial. "Hey, We got him. Come pick us up." She snapped the phone shut. "Billy's on the way. So, Spencer, Lila says you're some kind of genius."

"Yeah."

"Awesome. And you saved her from some freaky stalker chic?"

"Yeah."

"Sweet. Bad ass G-man with the brains and the charm. And pretty easy on the eyes. Lila is one lucky girl."

Lila squeezed his arm affectionately. "Don't get any ideas, E. I've got dibbs."

"I wouldn't think of it." A car honked at them as it pulled up to the curve. "There's Billy."

They quickly loaded Spencer's bag into the back and climbed into the SUV. Minutes later they were crawling through rush hour.

"Yeah, we're a real motley bunch." Billy laughed. "A hobbit, a demon slayer, a half witch-half angel, and a beach bimbo. All making the world safe from the psychos that go bump in the night."

"Well, I watched the first couple of episodes and they were pretty good. The rest are at home waiting for things to calm down."

"Coming from a guy that knows the real thing, I'd say that's quite the compliment."

"Well, Spencer has been big with the advice." Eliza laughed. She flipped down the visor and opened the mirror. She pretended to fuss with her hair while peering at Spencer and Lila sitting in the back. "Wow, twenty minutes on the road and there's no PDA. Are you two sure you haven't seen each other in 7 months."

"She's teasing." Lila whispered.

But Spencer grinned, sliding his arm around her shoulders. "You mean something more like this?"

"Yeah, that's more like it." Eliza laughed.

Spencer closed his eyes. He could smell her shampoo, vanilla and flowers. And it felt good having his arm around Lila, feeling her warmth gently pressing against him.

It was going to be a good week.


	4. Not in Kansas anymore

"There's the sign."

Billy followed the yellow and black signs through several turns. A few minutes later, they drove up to a collection of trucks and trailers. A uniformed guard and a woman were talking.

"Hey Guys." The woman walked up to the car. "Any trouble finding the place?"

"No. The directions were perfect." Billy put the car into park. "Madison, this is Spencer Reid." He pointed over his shoulder at Spencer.

"Our VIP. Nice to meet ya. Sorry about the Red Eye, but we have a long day here."

"I'm used to odd hours." Spencer tried to stifle a yawn. "But I could really use a cup of coffee."

"Breakfast should be up and running by the time you guys stash your stuff and hit the tents." Madison pointed to the other side of the trailers. "I can care of your car."

"Thanks, beautiful." Billy gave her a peck on the cheek as he climbed out and handed her the keys. "You need anything from your stuff, Spencer."

"I don't think so."

"Well if you do," Madison climbed behind the wheel. "Just give a holler and I'll have one of the guys cart you over to get it."

"Come on," Lila grabbed his hand. "I'll show you your trailer."

"I get a trailer?"

"Sort of." Lila led him into the maze of vehicles. "There's a trailer for the tech advisors. Which today is you and Doc."

"Doc?"

"He's cool." Billy grinned. "He was an emergency doctor for like ten years and then he became a pathologist. Retired a couple of years ago and now he does this."

"Just don't ask him about Ella." Eliza laughed at Spencer's confused look. "Ella Fitzgerald. He's a total nut. Practically worships her. Once he starts, he won't stop. "

"I'm more of a Sinatra guy. Guess it comes from growing up in Vegas."

"Here we are." Lila stopped at a trailer. "This is your own little hideaway. Not that you'll spend all that much time here." She led him along the row of trailers, pointing to various. "That's mine. And that's Eliza's. Billy's is the one with garden gnome. One of the props guy's found it. Said it was the closest to a hobbit he could dig up."

"Be careful going in Lila's trailer. It's wall to wall books." A young man with dark hair walked up. "She's taken researching a character to a new level. Obsessive." He stuck out a hand. "I'm Drew."

"You're the bug guy?"

"Yep. We all have our things. Scott is bugs."

Although everyone thinks Billy looks more like the kind of nerd that would go for the bugs."

"But I get the fingerprints instead." Billy tossed a backpack into his trailer and followed behind Lila and Spencer, his arms draped around Eliza and Drew.

"Mmmmm, I smell bacon." Drew broke off and headed for the tables where the caterers had breakfast spread out.

"Buenos Dias, my pretty." A middle aged man greeted them. "What do you want?" He asked, pointing to the collection of vegetables and cheeses.

"Antonio is the king of omelets." Lila grinned. "My usual."

"What's your usual?"

"Egg Whites with tomato, spinach, mushrooms, bit of bacon and some feta cheese."

"Sounds great."

"You want the same?" Antonio asked him.

"Sure, but lots of bacon."

"You got it."


	5. just another day

"So." Madison slipped into a chair and handed Spencer a cup of coffee. "How ya doing?"

"Fine."

"How's everything in Casa De Crazy Girls." Madison said, referring to the house Lila and Eliza shared. "They let you get any sleep last night."

"Not much." Spencer laughed. "Then again, I don't get much sleep anyway. We're on call 24/7 pretty much every week and when we are on a case, taking an hour for a nap seems like too long. Mostly I catch up on the plane ride home."

"Sounds like a tough life. But I guess you enjoy it in some weird way."

"I'm not sure 'enjoy' is the right word. But yes, it is worth it."

"Good thing for us. Lila's such a sweetheart, we all adore her. You're everyone's hero for saving her life."

"You know about that?"

"Everyone that spends any time working with any of the cast got a very thorough background check before they were hired. We could probably get an audience with the President they were so thorough." Madison laughed. "And Lila's been pretty open about the whole thing. Says she has nothing to be embarrassed about so why act like it's something she has to hide."

"Flirting with my boyfriend?" Lila tossed an arm around Spencer's neck.

"Can you blame me? He's the cutest one around."

"Yes he is. And he's young enough to be your son."

"Not quite." Madison winked. "You two behave."

"You know, you didn't have to come today." Lila slid into the empty chair. "You could have stayed at the house. Or gone sight seeing."

"I don't mind. It's fun."

"Really?"

"Mostly." Spencer laughed. "So which one is the bad guy?" He said, looking at the crowd gathered around the club they were using as a set.

"That guy. The blonde surfer looking one." Lila pointed across the room. "He was a model. Tommy, CK, something like that." She waved the guy over. "Travis, this is Spencer."

"The G-man. Cool." Travis spoke in a noticeable accent.

"Sydney?"

"Melbourne, but Yanks never get it right." Travis laughed. "Spencer man, do you mind if I tell your girlfriend that she looks totallly hot?"

"No, as long as you just look." Spencer said with a grin. He had to admit that Lila did look great. They were filming a night club scene. Kathryn, their token bad ass looking girl with a heart of justice seeking gold, persuades Emily to go out on the town at a hot new night club where Kathryn knows the doorman. Knowing in Kathryn talk being that she once slept with him. Refusing to be seen with Emily dressed as a "Gap Girl Robot", Kathryn redresses her in a leather miniskirt, heels and a halter top that was missing 99.9 of the back. It was deliciously this side of totally trampy and for not the first time, Spencer felt something very teenage boy stirring inside of him. Morgan would be proud.

"Okay, could the hormonally hopped up guys stop drooling over me." Lila laughed, not really minding. "Well okay just one of you stop, the other one can drool all he wants."

"And which one would that be?" Travis teased.

"I hope it's me." Spencer shot back. Remembering JJ's advice, he pulled Lila into his lap and kissed her. It was a long, lingering kiss. The kind that drew attention from the crew, who whistled and cheered. "Sorry." He blushed as Lila stood and straightened her clothes.

"Don't be. You're a good kisser." She winked.

An assistant called them onto the set and Spencer watched her walk away.

"About time." Drew called out as he walked by. "Next time, try it without the audience."

Spencer sat back, watching the scene unfold. It was a simple enough moment. Kathryn and Emily go to the club. A hot guy tries to hit on Emily but she blows him off. He finds another girl, who falls for his charms. And they go off dancing and drinking. After a few dozen takes and camera angles, the girl's switched clothes and - Drew, Billy and John joining them - shot the first part of the reveal scene. The reveal was the show's signature, the moment when they would summarize the way the crime played out. On screen they would have the team standing in the empty club talking, while around them, the scene would play out like ghosts in the room. There had been a moment of amusement the day before when they shot the last bit of the scene at the park where the body was found. Lila had had to explain that they called the sequence the "Spencer" because it was inspired by how he told her that sometimes when they are giving a profile he could see the crime in his head like a movie, only with the unsub's face a blur. He couldn't wait to see the look on Morgan's face when he told him about it.


	6. a better idea

"I just need ten minutes okay." Lila kissed him on the cheek before disappearing into her room.

"No problem. I want to change shirts." Spencer pulled off his sweaty, cigarette smelling shirt as he made his way into the guest room. It was a comfortable, but small room. Lila had been quick to tell him of its existence when she suggested he stay with her instead of at a hotel. She had nervously stuttered out a comment to the effect that he was welcome to sleep in her room if he wanted, but there was another room as well. It was the sort of awkwardness Spencer often felt but had never seen in another person. He'd decided right then to take her up on the offer to stay at the house. Besides he wasn't looking forward to a lonely hotel room. He'd told himself that he would play it by ear on the bedroom question. After all, sleeping in her bed didn't have to mean sex, did it? Or would she have assumed that that was what he wanted. He'd been too embarrassed to ask Morgan or Hotch about it.

Spencer rifled through his clothes, looking for something to wear. Lila had said they were going to a casual place on the Strip. But casual on the Strip, Spencer had guessed probably didn't mean the same as casual in Quantico.

A package caught his attention. It was tucked in the bottom of his suitcase, wrapped in brown paper. JJ's crisp handwriting adored a slip of paper "in case the opportunity arises."

Curious, Spencer opened the package, laughing when he saw the contents.

"You ready?" Lila called from the other room.

"Actually." Spencer walked in. "I was thinking. What if we don't go out?"

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Except that I've been here all week and we haven't had more than two minutes alone. We've been on the set for hours every day, Eliza's here at the house every night. Sometimes Drew and Billy too."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I think your friends are great. It's just that there's work again tomorrow, and the party tomorrow night. And I go home on Friday." Spencer smiled. "I was just thinking since Eliza's out, we could just enjoy the peace and quiet of an empty house." He pulled her into a soft kiss.

"What did you have in mind?" Lila smiled.

Spencer handed her the package. "JJ slipped that in my suitcase. I thought we could put them to good use."

Lila looked at him confused. "I get the swim trunks, but what's with the bag?"

Spencer laughed. "That's for my gun."


	7. in the still of the night

The house was totally still.

Lila reached over and turned off the television. She snuggled back up against Spencer's chest for a moment. She could hear his heart beating, feel his breath against her face.

It had been a fantastic night. They had gone for a swim, goofing off like a couple of grade school kids. Spencer had actually seemed to relax.

She liked him, she really did. It wasn't just because he saved her life. She knew that was what a lot of folks were thinking. That he'd helped her and now she had some hero worship crush on him.

Okay, maybe that was it in the beginning. That and perhaps a bit of lust cause, face it, Spencer Reid was hot. He could have totally been a model. And he was a great kisser, even if he didn't realize it. And there was something totally hot about how he was so unsure of himself. The complete opposite of the cocky guys she saw all the time. He was so not a Hollywood guy that she loved talking to him. Sure it was only email most of the time, but it was great. She'd tell him about what she was doing, he'd tell her about cases.

Eventually they got to more personal things. She told him about growing up and wanting to be an actress. He told her about growing up a genius and feeling like a freak. He told her all about how he wasn't every good at talking to people, especially people his own age. How he always felt like an outsider. He didn't hold anything back. When he told her that he wasn't sure why but he felt totally comfortable telling her all that stuff, she knew she'd found someone special. Maybe things between them were doomed to fail as a relationship, but she sure was going to give it a try.

Lila carefully got up, trying not to wake Spencer up. She quietly picked up the plates and trash from their impromptu take out dinner. She hated having a messy house, couldn't go to sleep with even one dirty dish in the sink. As she slipped out of the room, she could hear something that sounded like a moan.

Spencer was still asleep but he was no longer relaxed. He was muttering to himself, breathing like he was running from something.

"Spencer." Lila knelt down next to him, gently shaking his arm, trying to wake him up.

"No. No. Somebody."

"Spencer." Lila shook a little harder.

Spencer snapped awake, sitting up suddenly.

"Hey, you okay?"

There was a moment before he looked at her.

"You were having a bad dream,"

"Yeah. I get them a lot. Hazard of the job." Spencer said, a little embarrassed.

"You never mentioned that before." Lila sat next to him, his hand in hers.

"It's not something I really like to talk about. It always sounds sort of"

"Crazy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I already know you're mad as a hatter. You like my co-stars." Lila said with a smile. "Trust me, this won't make things any worse."

"They aren't always the same. Sometimes I'm being attacked and I don't have my gun. Or I have it but it won't fire. Sometimes Im searching for someone, usually a child, and I can't find them. I'm in the woods, or a house with hundreds of rooms. I can hear crying but I just can't find where it's coming from. Or someone I care about is hurt, bleeding everywhere and dying, and I can't stop it. I can't save them."

"Sounds awful." Lila gave him a hug. "But with your job, I guess you have a lot of things like that to worry about. All that gives me nightmares is the thought of bad ratings and that doesn't count."

"It's not as bad as it used to be. For a while, I was having nightmares every night. They were so horrible I couldn't get back to sleep. I thought Hotch was going to put me on forced leave at one point."

"Did he?"

"No, but he made me go see the unit therapist. Who told me what I already knew. That the nightmares were just manifestations of the fear that I would fail and people would be hurt. Hearing everyone say that I couldn't carry all the blame myself doesn't make it stop. It doesn't make the dreams go away."

"I guess it wouldn't. But you said it's getting better, right. You don't have them as much."

"Not as much. But I still have them."

"Well I know what will stop them." Lila smiled. She stood, pulling Spencer to his feet.

"What?"

"Me. I might look sweet and innocent but I'm really a total bad ass." She pulled Spencer toward her room. "You're sleeping with me tonight and any nightmares that come around are in for some major trouble."

"I don't know."

"I do. Trust me." Lila grinned. "Just be warned. If you try anything, I'll kick your butt too."

"Fair enough."


	8. For the sake of honesty

"There's our boy. Back from Hollywood." Morgan grinned. "Got yourself a tan. Little loving too maybe?"

"Hey Reid." Garcia grabbed him in a bear hug. "Missed you."

"Missed you too." Reid pulled himself out of her arms. "I brought you something."

"Gifts, yeah." Garcia squealed.

"It's not much really. I saw it when Lila and I were sight seeing and I thought of you." Reid pulled out a plastic bag. "Didn't have time to wrap it or anything."

Garcia opened up the bag and pulled out a plastic replica of an Oscar statue. "Best Geek." She laughed. "That's me."

"You got something in there for me?" Morgan smirked.

"Yeah." Reid tossed a t-shirt at him. "Now you can say 'My coworker went to Hollywood and all I got was a lousy t-shirt'"

"Very funny."

"How was the trip?" Hotch walked up. "How's your mother?"

"She's good."

"And LA. How was working in the movies?"

"Didn't really do much. Just taught them some easy buzz words, corrected a couple of really bad technical errors." Reid shrugged. "Did you know they named a shot after me."

"Really?" Morgan raised an eye.

"Yeah. I told Lila about how sometimes when I'm working on a case I visualize the crime in my head. And they copied it on the show. They call it The Spencer" Reid said proudly.

"Hmm." Morgan grunted. "So anything else happen during your time. Anything off set?"

"We didn't have time to go to Disneyland, but we did go to Universal Studios. And they have a house on the beach. Billy tried to teach me how to surf. Oh and we had lunch at this cafe in Beverly Hills and Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie were there." Reid directed his comments at Garcia and JJ, who had walked up.

Morgan threw his arm around Reid. "That's not what I'm talking about kid."

Reid shrugged out from under his arm. "I know what you're talking about."

"And?"

"And a wise man once said that honesty is the best policy, so I'm going to very honestly tell you that that is none of your business." Reid walked away without a look back.

He could have told Morgan that yes they slept together, but it was just sleeping. But it was more fun to leave him wondering.


End file.
